The Penn's Grove record., 1887-07-16
SLEEP ON FARM.
How a Young Man Did Not Get Cure

" said the pale young man sadly,
II AN not working on a farm for my
health now."
'Is that so 2s'
"Yes. l have come away and the
farm which knew me would perhaps
know 9e yet If it could get a sight Of
me, but 1t can't.
II went out, you know, by the advice
Of a physician. Said he: "You need
outdoor exercise, and above all, sleep
such long, quiet nights sleep as you car
only find In the country away from the
noise and heat of the city, with the
great open windows and the cool and
velvety breeze floating through you
room all night long, with perhaps an
occas ional night with the pattering ralr
upon the roof to lull you to sleep.
That's what the doctor said.
$50 l hired out to a farmer TO work
all summer. He said 1 wa so white
and pale that he couldn't give me any
thing but my board for my services,
but if l wanted to work for that j
might climb in behind the seat and
ride out.
80 / did. lie had one mule and one
horse and the mule baked every time
we went up hill, and they both tried to
run away on the level. He drove them
with a trace-cham tied on a white ash
axle-helve.
"But we got out there at last. l
don't want to tell you anything about
the work to-day haven't time-but
/ feel as il l must say something about
those long nights sleep.
1.-THE first night we gos home late,
but still the sun was only nicely down.
The sun sets about two hours later out
there than anywhere else in the known
world.
"After supper the farmer spent one
hour and a half telling me about the
FAX crop on the back forty, and then
| he reckoned we better milk. There
were twelve cows and he said each
would take six. He gave me the kickera
and it took me two hours and it had
been dark a long while when l finished.
Then he had me pump up water for the
next day. And it took me forty mill
utes. Then / filled the wood-box and
| split the kIndling wood. And as 1t was
a big box it took thirty minutes. Then
he told me about the oat crop. which
took an hour. And when | went to
bed 1t was growing light IN the east.
"The window In the was a
pane OF glass nailed over an irregular
hole in the boards and could noJ be
opened. l felt around In the dim light
and finally got into bed. l had just
fallen asleep and had begun to dream l
was lying along the ridge-pole OF a
double-humped camel when the farmer
| pounded on the stairs with an old
broomstick and said breakfast was
ready. l couldn't see az it was any
lighter than when 1 went to bed,
though the sky in the east was a little
redder.
81 will pass v e the day as it Is
painful to recall, Or rather the day
and the last end of one night and first
end of another for we were in the hay
field sixteen hours.
"And that evening after supper he
said 1 might throw the dirt out OF a
new cellar while l rested.
"Then we MIXED and he gave me
eight COWS instead of six-alI kickers.
And one OF them was a hooker too,
and slammed me through the corn
crib.
81 got to bed an hour sooner than
the night before because he said he was
thinking some of getting up early the
next morning.
"And that night it rained and heard
the pleasant patter Of the rain on the
roof that that old fraud of a doctor
spoke about. But it didn't lull me to
sleep because 1t leaked down on me
and got the bed clothes all wet n l
caught cold.
"And when the farmer pounded on
the stairs I got up and looked at my
watch and l had been abed an hour
and forty minutes. And my clothes
were wet and there was water in my
shoes. ~
"But it was a good day and we
worked at the hay again. We moved
down what the farmer called a 'slathel'
of it. And that night after L a rested
awhile or the cellar and MIXED the
twelve cows-twelve kickers-and n
of them thought / wastrying 20 kldnap
her calf and chased me out of the yard
the farmer said it looked like ram
again and he reckoned we'd better go
out and cock up the hay before bed,
time.
"And before We got to the field | saw
the morning star and when L had got
up twelve punches of hay and the old
hYpocrlte of a farmer four, 1 heard a
lark. Then when L had up twenty-four
punches and the farmer six 1t began
to grow quite light.
"When the farmer saw it he laid
down on the hay and laughed for ten
minutes. He said we had worked
right through the night without know
ing 1t. :.
"But had known more about 1t
than he thought l had.
ave worked an hour longer and then
we went to the house and 1 MIXED.
Breakfast wasn't quite ready and l
threw a couple of cubic yards of sand
out of the bottom o the cellar.
"And while we were eating the far
mer told me TO hurry because he would
like to get in one full days work dur
ing haying. l said | would TOO and
thatey would stop and go out and har-
ness The horses. And he said that Yves
business and | went out and a down
the road and walked into town.
''And now | i'm looking for that Old
liar of a physician and surgeon who
told me about the long nights steep
would get on a farm"